Tag Archives: China

After 35 years at the helm, Robert Mugabe shows no interest in giving up the big seat. Even at 91, Mugabe’s will remains steadfast – perhaps more so than his body. He has expressed his intention to stand for re-election in 2018 when he will be 94 if he’s still around. The ruling party, Zanu-PF, has just endorsed his candidacy. Despite how strong President Mugabe claims to be, the party apparatus has endured spasms over the question of succession. The first candidate, Joice Mujuru, was knocked out of the race last year. She was purged for supposedly plotting against the … Continue reading

It’s always worth looking back. We are seeing a new economic crisis burgeoning in China. The yuan has been devalued, the stock market has sunk deep and now interest rates are being slashed to try and boost lending. In this case, we should look back to 2008 – as it was the last crisis, and we’ve yet to recover from it – to see what forces led to the crash. To understand where we’re going we must understand where we have been already. According to David Harvey, the causes of the 2008 financial crisis can be divided into six major factors: 1. The … Continue reading

Africans are used to having heads of state from the global north coming and telling them what they should be doing to lift their countries out of poverty. President Barak Obama’s visit to Kenya and Ethiopia in East Africa at the end of July in many respects upheld that time-honoured tradition. But with an important difference. Obama’s Kenyan paternal family background made his presence in the country as much a homecoming as a state visit. He was welcomed with open arms by an adoring public and upbeat local media. The same went for his visit to Ethiopia. For many people … Continue reading